Vacillating Energy

Just as vacillating takes energy, energy flow vacillates.
I get energized by new and wonderful ideas, but run out of steam when plans crumble.  I spend way too much energy vacillating over ideas, projects, and plans and then I run out of enthusiasm for what I am doing and my energy diminishes while I seesaw between solutions or wavier in indecision.  My water canal project, what to do about my work schedule, when and where to ride, hike and walk, holding back on eating sweets or pushing myself to go workout, are all dilemmas I have been vacillating on.  Even political, moral, social, racial, and religious issues in our world today have caused me angst as I puzzle over and fluctuate back and forth on them. 

Friday's rain helped things to green up and more flowers to bloom.  Everything that had been dusted with pollen was washed clean.  I like this two colored azalea out front.

Saturday morning I worked at last week's blog, but was unable to finish it before needing to go to work.  Working on Saturdays is getting old.  This time I missed out on a chance for a group ride with a bunch from our barn and a few who have moved to a different barn.  For this reason, I am disliking my work schedule more and more.  Some days I just want to quite.  But that is not the solution because I truly feel God intends us to be productive members of society as long as we are able.  Also, I really like having the benefits of the free Fairfield Glade amenities that all employees get, and once at work, I enjoy the job... fellow employees and talking with old and new visitors.

The leaves on the maple out front have farther opened up and filled out, adding to the beauty of this ornamental tree.  Notice Maggie keeping an eye on me?

It is greening up everywhere, and our back woods is really turning into a forest.











I did take time to complete two loads of laundry and get the dog out for several short walks before going in to work at 1:45.



There was a high school prom at the Conference Center Saturday evening, so that made work fun and exciting.  Wendy and I really enjoyed watching the girls coming in with their beautiful gowns, (photo off internet).  There were lots of tight fitting dresses with bare backs and bare bellies.  Loud, fun, and good dance music played and we watched everyone dancing on our camera monitor.  We even broke out a few moves behind the desk ourselves.  Windy is a riot and lots of fun to work with.  I left work just before 10 pm and the party was going strong.

Sunday was a day of Church and then a very quiet shift at work from 2-8 pm.  I was not happy about working another night and it went very slowly because it was so dead at the CC.

I did spend an hour trying to catch Stevie who had slipped through the screen door that wasn't latched and blew open.  She was outside running around like a crazy girl... under our deck, Brian's deck and at Allen's.  I gave her an ice cube to play with and cool off, once she had been captured.  Below, Maggie stole it from her.















Monday, while working here at my computer, I noticed Stevie out on the back deck.  Ugh... Joe did not get the screen door latched and Stevie got loose again.  After trying to catch her for several minutes, Joe convinced me to wait till she was ready to come back in.  It was with much angst, vacillating over leaving her run lose outside, vs chasing her around for who knows how long, that I sat here starting this new blog post.













It's a good thing Stevie is so cute, otherwise I might not put up with her escape efforts and success.  She really loves being outdoors.  This perch on the screen porch off the dining room is one of her favorite spots.





I got outside midmorning and started work on the drainage project.  I put in several feet of wall on Allen's side of the hill and added some fill dirt next to where the wall was already solid.





Making rock and mortar walls requires finding rock to fit, wire brushing each one, rinsing them off, wetting down the area were they will be cemented in, making the concrete and getting the rock placed with the mortar under and in between each of them.  I mixed two bags, working several hours, but then moved on to another project so the concrete could set up.


Deciding there wasn't enough room to get around the bench I had placed on this rock slab, I removed more dirt from off the rock, back behind the bench.  Then I moved the three stepping rocks.  I transplanted some of the moss and gave it all a good watering.















I stopped for dinner, which Joe had grilled, and then watered grass in the dark as I finished up work for the day.


Tuesday's forecast was for a good chance of thundershowers in the afternoon, so I decided cement work was out of the question... therefore, I lingered here at my computer much too long, vacillating over what to do for the day.

I knew the flower beds out front were in need of weeding (one example seen left), so I decided I would start that project, and then go to the gym and work here in the house once the rains came.







Once outside, I decided to first remove two dead transplants and go dig up new, and different one's to replace them.  Since I needed the SUV (wasn't going to get my new car dirty and the 20 gallon tubs would be a tight fit), and Joe was golfing later in the afternoon, I got a move on and headed into the woodland with his ride.



Seen above and to the left, the new, and different holly bushes that have now replaced a juniper and regular holly that didn't survive transplanting last fall.  Also note, there are areas in need of weeding.


The bed seen right didn't need much weeding, and I finished it off quickly.  I do need to tie back the daffodil leaves to expose the iris behind them.

As I weeded, I also decided to dig up daffodil in the grass part of the yard that were left over from our big change in flower garden placement two years ago.

The bed, seen left, had been a mess and took a lot of time to weed.  I ended up exposing this little yellow violet that is a volunteer, and I have no idea where it came from.


This close up of it also shows the cute little wild flowers in the background that I chose not to pull up with the other weeds.





While messing around outside, I decided to re-plant my hens and chickens.  They were barely holding on inside the lava rock and there was more growing in a weed patch.  So I better hollowed out the lava rock and put the larger bunch in there.  Then all the individual ones I stuck together in a pot to bring inside.  Also notice, the pot of daffodil, for temporary storage until I am ready (have a place ready) to plant them.

The rains never came so I worked outside all day.  Darkness fell as I finished up with some watering.






Wednesday was kind of a repeat of Tuesday, with even a better chance of rain.  So, again, no cement work would be accomplished.  Since Joe would soon be leaving town in the SUV, I went to Crossville,  shopping for plants, seed and pet feed.  While I was gone, Stevie got loose again, and was finally found down at the pond.  We have discovered that she is pulling the screen doors open, since neither of them is latching now.  We have to keep them hooked shut from the inside, but when Joe goes out to sit on the deck, the door is no longer hooked shut, and she escapes.


Next I used the SUV to go dig up some white pine.


I got a large one to replace a dead one in our yard, and two others for the empty lot at the corner by Allen's.  We agreed that it needs some winter greenery.  It was hot and humid and tiring work.  It did sprinkle on me a few times, making me feel rushed in case it would really start pouring.  But it never did.

By mid-afternoon I was too tired to plant my flowers and it had been so long since I have ridden, I ate a late lunch and headed to the barn.


I saw Karen and Jan heading out on the trail as I pulled in to the stables.  All the horses were already in their stalls for the night, so I grabbed Amiga out of hers, quickly tacked up, and headed out.  I texted Jan, who was about two miles away, and rode Amiga hard (mostly gaiting fast or cantering) until I caught up with the girls.






It was a pretty evening, perfect riding weather, and the nature all around us was so enjoyable.  Starting out fast made Amiga a bit wound up, so she wanted to rush much of the time.  Seen right, I was trying to get a photo of the little lavender colored flowers that are all over.  Then I took this silly video while heading back to the barn.  I washed Amiga down with a cool wet cloth, treated Zorro's hoof, and got home after dark.  The night ended watching Survivor with Joe, once he got home from card playing.
  
We had thunderstorms overnight and Thursday started out overcast.  I took this photo to show the swamp land, which is where the creek enters the pond and it shows the bench on the rock and our greening grassy hillside.

It soon cleared off and I went out for a second, longer walk with the dog to get more photos of our backyard, pond and creek.  Maggie was excited about the frogs jumping into the water and the fish and turtle swimming towards us.  In the lower photo, the turtle's head had just disappeared under water.



 
Maggie was very tuned into life in and around the pond.

The two lower photos show the creek as it enters the pond, and the proximity of our backyard to this.  You can kind of see, behind the taller grass along the creek's edge, the brush pile that I spread out along this low area.  We have been putting leaves and grass clippings on it and some grass is growing up in between the sticks and branches.

I was feeling lazy, wanting to join these two on the floor for a morning nap, but knew I needed to get my new seedlings planted before going into work.  I don't know what causes my energy level to vacillate so much.  Some days I go like the energizer bunny... other days, I get out of breath going from my desk to the kitchen to get food.  When neighbor Brian and I compare aches, pains, and body break downs, he often says, "Getting old ain't for sissies."  Ain't that the truth!
 



I finally got going and planted flowers, parsley, basil, tomato, and pepper seedlings into pots.  I ran out of time though and didn't get the begonia planted into the flower beds. 






Work went well, and even though the CC was empty, the shift still went fast.  I spent 90 minutes of it outside, watering all the beautiful flowers Becky had planted.  Also, Callan and I were working with a new lady, Ann Marie, who was just hired in Sue's place, since yesterday was Sue's last day.  Training and getting to know Ann Marie helped the time go fast.  Also, I had to run home at dinner time to feed and walk Maggie since I had lone responsibility of dog duty.  (Joe had left for work at 7:15 am, and was heading straight to Iowa once he got off... well, he did stay in Metropolis for the night.)  The cat and dog were glad to see me home at 9:20, and were good company until we all fell asleep. 

I was expecting our handy man at 9:30 Friday morning, so worked hard at this blog during tea and toast, but then got going with laundry, cleaning, and organizing for his work duties.  I found this huge dragon fly in the garage, that eventually flew off.

When Jeremy hadn't arrived by 10 am, I feared it would be a repeat of the last time he pulled a no-show.  I was experiencing vacillating energy- that flowed constantly, either properly (positive, energetic, and enthusiastic) as I anticipated accomplishing several jobs, or in a wayward manner (negative, angry, and depressed) as I felt I had been snubbed again.

I kept puttering around, bouncing from one thing to another, looking out the front door for Jeremy, wanting to be productive but feeling too unsettled to focus on any one task.  I think Maggie could tell I was at loose ends and she too was sort of pacing / following me around.  I took her for several short walks around the block, not wanting her to pee inside once Jeremy finally did show up.

Stevie was her usual self with play and small critter watching.  Seen right, she is on her perch on the porch outside our master bedroom.  She loves this spot too.

I find myself in Britney's shoes, thinking my kitty is just the cutest thing.  I have to include all the photos below because the cat is so darn adorable and silly, I can't decide on just one picture.

Three calls were made to Jeremy, basically each hour, and he never answered his phone.  He doesn't have voice mail, so I couldn't even leave a message.  I couldn't start a big outside project because he would need supervision inside, once here; and I had to stay home.  I felt stuck, and lets face it, downright annoyed.

I worked at this blog post, folded laundry, and was trying to decide which way to go with my energy.  By noon, the third call, I was fairly certain he wasn't going to make it here.  But my energy was scattered (and somewhat shattered) so I didn't feel up to going out to plant flowers or work on the drainage ditch.







At 12:30 I decided to eat lunch and get a move on with my day.  That's when Jeremy finally called.  I was already resolved to not getting his jobs (or mine for that matter) done, so I decided to go ride Amiga.  I needed a horsey fix and to go have some fun.

Amiga was easy to catch and I took my time getting her ready to ride.  We left the barn at a slow, leisurely pace.  Seen above, the switch back as we head towards it to go down to Daddy's creek.
(right photo and video of the little stream, during our approach to the big creek) 

I enjoyed my ride, as the morning's frustrations slowly left me and peace returned.  The sounds of the birds, woods, and water running (video) soothed my soul... as did my sweet heart Amiga.  A horse has a way of fixing a lot of things... yet if they are not healthy or not behaving, it can make life worse.

Seen left, golfers on the 13th green of Dorchester.

I took care of Zorro's hoof after getting Amiga untacked and into her stall for the evening.  Karen was working on Behiem.














Zorro wanted a selfie of us to send to Courtney, so I took this and then turned him back out into his pasture for the evening.


I got home at 5:30, ate an early dinner, feed the dog and cat, and then climbed into my new Toyota Prius to take Maggie for a long walk.  I marvel at the efficiency of this car, as energy vacillates between being used when I accelerate and being stored when I brake.  It sounds like a golf cart when it automatically goes into electric mode.

For those of you interested in how my car works, the braking system has been engineered to recapture much of the car's kinetic energy and convert it into electricity, which is used to recharge the car's batteries.  This system, called regenerative braking, saves on the battery and brakes (both proven to last much longer).  It also delivers true synergy between the two power sources.  When the engine is running, it charges the battery via the generator.  When driving conditions allow it, such as in slow-moving traffic or coasting down hill, the generator can cut out the petrol engine and let the electric motor take over.  This allows for less fuel consumption and zero-emissions traveling, which helps the environment.

Maggie and I hit more roads in the Glade, starting near the little house that is being built on the hill by Lake Glastowbury dam.  I had to go up and snoop around to check on how it was coming along, and see what it's view was going to look like.  Right photo, seen from garage, with lake in the background.  Below is the view seen from the unfinished deck on the back of the house. 






It was dark when we got home at 8:30 pm, and I was basically done for the night.  I had to remove a few ticks, since much of our walk had been in tall grass on the unmowed, uninhabited roads.  I had no energy to vacillate in any direction, other than getting me into bed.